Sydney Subbies 2015

[barbarian]

Mate, we are always happy to help out other clubs where we can. I believe that you have to show an understanding of what other clubs are going through when this stuff happens.

We just hope that if we are ever in the situation that you guys were in, that our opposition would be able to assist us in the same way.

Congrats on your wins in the two lower grades. I didn't see fourth grade, but third grade was a tough battle and we made a few mistakes that your boys capitalised on, which was the difference in the end. A good solid tussle that (hopefully) doesn't knock us out of semi final contention.

Yeah you guys were a bit unlucky in 3rds, conceding a length-of-the-fielder and that one off a turnover after you hit the front late in the game. That stuff happens in the lower grades, sometimes the bounce of the ball can make such a difference.

Bit of a shame about the lopsided higher grades. We were a bit undermanned but not as much as the scores would suggest. You guys seem to have great depth this year, enough to field a 5th grade which is bloody impressive.
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[Pfitzy]

I’m hearing rumours that Wednesday night games will be used in Division 4 to help clear the fixture backlog as well as using this designated bye week to fulfill all of last weeks fixtures! Expect some lopsided games as holidays/work/other halves get in the way of teams fielding full strength teams

Is Latham Park rated for a night game for our First Grade replay?

Depending how we go the next few weeks it might be academic as far as our First Grade finals chances go, given our other catch-up game is against Beecroft, AND we have to play Canterbury at Canterbury again.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

Unless they have upgraded the lights at Latham Park recently, the lights are about the same standard as Chatswood Oval - that is not very good and they would probably fail the 100 lux requirement for club competition as per AS 2560.2.3-2007 if anyone ever bothered to measure it.
http://www.rugby.com.au/tryrugby/Administration/LightingCriteria.aspx

 

[Pfitzy]

Have played a Friday night game at Chatswood Oval - the ref missed both of my knocks-on at the ruck base on a pick N go. It'll do

 

[JSRF10]

Latham Park should be good to go, Randwick are playing some catch up games in the lower grades there as well so I assume that the floodlights are up to the minimum required standard

 

[Pfitzy]

Just a question of when, really.

Who you guys playing Saturday?

 

[Ozzie Bob]

Anyone have any inside info on how Hornsby (Central Coast) and Campbelltown (Illawarra) are finding their new comps? Will they want to come back to Subbies?

 

[Pfitzy]

Talked to Campbelltown head coach - said its a good standard of footy down there and they're enjoying being competitive. The travel is about the same all things considered (think for a moment about Campbelltown - Newport when you're starting at midday) and the IDRU are happy to have them, particularly for Colts where there are only three teams.

Tables here:

http://www.idru.com.au/en/senior-rugby/senior-tables-2015

 

[JSRF10]

Just a question of when, really.

Who you guys playing Saturday?

1sts and 2nds playing Merrylands, 3rds playing MacArthur Crusaders in the Halligan

 

[Aussie D]

Not sure if they are enjoying the travel or not (their furthest game would take about 1 hour of travel time so not too bad) but Hornsby have been competitive. Firsts are sitting mid-table, seconds are in 4th spot and 3rds are leading the comp. If the rest of the Central Coast rugby community are like me they will be glad to have them if the rumours of Northlakes heading up to the Newcastle comp prove to be true.

 

[Pfitzy]

1sts and 2nds playing Merrylands, 3rds playing MacArthur Crusaders in the Halligan

Hope your 3rd Grade lads have their Weet Bix tomorrow.

 

[KOB1987]

Yeah you guys were a bit unlucky in 3rds, conceding a length-of-the-fielder and that one off a turnover after you hit the front late in the game. That stuff happens in the lower grades, sometimes the bounce of the ball can make such a difference.

Bit of a shame about the lopsided higher grades. We were a bit undermanned but not as much as the scores would suggest. You guys seem to have great depth this year, enough to field a 5th grade which is bloody impressive.
.

As you probably guessed Hugh I also played for Kings Old Boys, many moons ago. That said my moniker on here came about because I signed up originally purely to get the feed for the GPS games, so it was that I am a Kings old boy that I have it, not because I played for KOBRUC.

I gather the club is now back to about where it was when I left in 2002. The club was just starting to get a wriggle on back then as (for reasons I can't remember) we were getting quite a lot of Sydney Uni students who wanted to play at a lower level than grade. I think it was mainly because training at Wentworth Park was convenient for them, do you still train there?

Before that though we were struggling. A lot of the players worked and lived close to the city so we moved the club to the inner west (Five Dock) one year to try to attract more players as the drive to Parra for a home game was a bit tedious. I wouldn't say that the experiment was a failure, more that it didn't have the full desired effect, so we moved back the next year. And let's face it, nothing beats the atmosphere of the 'rug-shack'!

Our coach that year was a fella called Nick Leah who was just entering his coaching career and is now the manager of the Brumbies Academy down there. We were competitive enough to win our fair share of games and occasionally upset the best sides but I can't recall ever making the finals in the 5 or 6 years I played there.

Anyway, I'm a bit of a lurker on this thread as I can't really contribute anything these days but I read it with interest.

All the best for the rest of the season.

 

[Pfitzy]

Looks like Convicts have pulled the pin on their 3rd Grade - so along with Merrylands, that is now an 8-club grade.

Subbies need to look at reintroducing 5th Division and making it stick. There are clubs who can genuinely support 2 Grades, and need it to help 40 blokes get on the park every week.

Might be time for Subbies to reshuffle everything into 8-club Divisions, full round of home and away, and start looking at the Grade structure. Its only a small number of incidences this year as far as I can tell, but the problem isn't going away.

It was hard to grow a club to the point where they could grow from 2 to 4 teams (when there was no 4th Div) and its as hard to go from 1 to 3 teams in the current structure.

 

[barbarian]

KOB- that's really interesting stuff.

The 'train in the city, play in Parra' is an issue we are still grappling with. We've also lost the University colleges, which was a great talent pool for many years. Not sure what the future of the club is, you get stuck in a downward spiral where you begin to lose players, so you lose games, which turns players off, so you lose more games, and on it goes.
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[Heavyd]

Looks like Convicts have pulled the pin on their 3rd Grade - so along with Merrylands, that is now an 8-club grade.

Subbies need to look at reintroducing 5th Division and making it stick. There are clubs who can genuinely support 2 Grades, and need it to help 40 blokes get on the park every week.

Might be time for Subbies to reshuffle everything into 8-club Divisions, full round of home and away, and start looking at the Grade structure. Its only a small number of incidences this year as far as I can tell, but the problem isn't going away.

It was hard to grow a club to the point where they could grow from 2 to 4 teams (when there was no 4th Div) and its as hard to go from 1 to 3 teams in the current structure.

Without wanting to go over old ground I think we all need to acknowledge the facts. Whilst some clubs are growing and others a shrinking the reality is the overall player pool is diminishing at a great rate of knots.

Player numbers last year where the lowest in over 10 years.
2014 - 6477
2013 - 6881
2012 - 7024
The fall from 2013-14 is 404 players which is 25 teams. I shudder to think where this years numbers will end up.

Times change and you need to change with them.
1 DIV 4 + Colts
2 DIV 3 + Colts
3 DIV 3 + Colts optional DIV 3/4 Colts Comp
4 DIV 3 + Colts optional
5 DIV 2
6 DIV 1 - Two conferences
Halligans Cup - all overflow

 

[Pfitzy]

Without wanting to go over old ground I think we all need to acknowledge the facts. Whilst some clubs are growing and others a shrinking the reality is the overall player pool is diminishing at a great rate of knots.

This year it will be worse because Hornsby and Campbelltown left.

I agree in general with your plan - I'd also go so far as to say a city-wide Masters comp (Over 35s, kicking off same time as 3rd Grade) would be a good thing for the old blokes who still want a trot but can't get to 5th Grade games.

 

[KOB1987]

KOB- that's really interesting stuff.

The 'train in the city, play in Parra' is an issue we are still grappling with. We've also lost the University colleges, which was a great talent pool for many years. Not sure what the future of the club is, you get stuck in a downward spiral where you begin to lose players, so you lose games, which turns players off, so you lose more games, and on it goes.
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Yes and with so many clubs in Sydney it's easy for blokes to pick the one that suits their current way of life, or switch to the one that some mates just went to, etc. There are always the club stalwarts and a few others that are really enthusiastic and get behind the club but it's not an easy task to channel that enthusiasm to another 50 or 60 players especially, as you say, if you start losing more games than you win.

I called in to the school a few weeks ago on my way home (after the Tahs v Reds game) to visit my nephew and I couldn't help but drive around to the ground to see what has changed..still looks exactly the same and I was wrapped to see the shack still standing!

 

[barbarian]

Yeah we've just done it up actually. New deck, coat of paint, BBQ.

We had our peak in about 2010, when we won the Barraclough Cup. Sadly 14 of the 15 who played that year immediately retired, and the club has battled ever since. You just can't lose that much top-end talent and stay at the same level.
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[KOB1987]

No, that's never going to end well..

It's interesting looking at the make up of the current 3rd Division comp. Hawkesbury Valley, St Ives and Oatley were common opponents back when I was playing. I also did a stint at Colleagues (in between my KOB stints) and at the time Waverley and UWSH were reasonably strong Kentwell clubs. I can't remember where Epping sat and I've never heard of Redfield.

 

[barbarian]

Yeah Redfield are a new club. Since you've stopped there have also been rapid rises for Balmain, Petersham and Brothers. Decline in Briars, Hornsby and Blacktown.
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